Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Residents in the low lying area of Chatty in Port Elizabeth say they still have not received any help from the municipality almost after two weeks since the devastating floods destroyed many parts of the city.

A metro spokesperson says that they are dealing with the situation area by area.But they confirmed that they have not yet visited Chatty despite it being one of the hardest hit.

Residents say they are desperate for any kind of help. The only aid has come from the Red Cross and local business.

Meetings have been held to find alternative land for those who have been displaced. A report tabled by a metro special council meeting estimates flood damage in the metro to be as much as R120 million. - SABC

Business in Cape Town says the recent electricity crisis in the Western Cape has cost them about R1 billion. This emerged at a function where Alec Erwin, the public enterprises minister, Thulani Gcabashe, the Eskom CEO, and Ebrahim Rasool, the premier, thanked business and consumers for their support during the electricity recovery process. - SABC

Monday, August 14, 2006

A woman died and her daughter was injured when their shack caught fire on an Oudtshoorn farm on Sunday, Western Cape police said. The woman, 31, was sleeping in the shack with her husband and two children when the fire started about 1am, said Captain Malcolm Pojie on Monday.

“The husband woke up and discovered that the shack was on fire and took the children out.

“When he returned to save his wife the fire had already covered the shack and he could not get in,” said Pojie.

Their 10-year-old daughter sustained severe burn wounds on her arms, hands and legs.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

According to the South African Weather Service, more cold weather is expected in the Southern and Eastern Cape in the next few days, which raises concerns in the South African Red Cross Society about the safety of communities left vulnerable after last week's torrential rain.

The downpours and flooding were experienced in the Southern and Eastern Cape from 31 July to 3 August 2006. During this time, at least five people died, one a four-year-old child and 14 were declared missing. 50 communities were left stranded and more than 1000 people were forced to evacuate their informal settlement homes to escape the rising flood waters.

The predictions of further bad weather, although indicating that the rain will be much less severe than last week, still raises concerns at The South African Red Cross Society for the vulnerable communities still trying to rebuild their lives after last week's floods. Reuters